


Play That Game (Or, Veser VS. The Machine)

by Crazythatcounts



Category: Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name
Genre: Gen, Lightwaves Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 08:29:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5241611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazythatcounts/pseuds/Crazythatcounts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veser has a lot of trouble with a vending machine. </p><p>Written as a Christmas Drabble for a few friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Play That Game (Or, Veser VS. The Machine)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Digi_Wears_Goggles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digi_Wears_Goggles/gifts).



This. Sucked. 

Veser stood inside the shelter of the building, arms crossed. In front of him, staring him down, all angry blue lights and sleek metal pulsing with cold heat, was a vending machine. It hummed at him, volume rising and falling with the pulsing lights, like breathing. Like it was alive, a metallic dragon guarding a hoard of good just inside the clear casing, breathing heavily, hot air seeping from under its bulk as it rested there, it’s tail a mighty black cord that disappeared into the wall to keep people like Veser from unplugging the machine, cracking the locks, which while plugged in were locked with not only regular locks but super magnets as well, and plundering the goods for free. 

Veser growled. If only it were that easy. 

Or, if only the thing decided Veser’s money was good enough. Apparently, it wasn’t. He’d actually tried to obey the rules, for once, to try and use actual money and pay for the candy so he could slap a bow on it for Hanna’s Christmas present, since it was a present and all, but the machine had other ideas. When Veser put in his money, the thing sucked it right up, sputtered a bit, then stilled. There was a moment when Veser grew tense, thinking the thing would spit the money right back at him like it always seemed to want to do. It then began to whirr and hum like it was actually going to get the selection Veser put in, but after a moment, it stopped dead. The candy was half-way out of its holder, just one little push away from falling into the machine, but the thing refused to make it move any further. 

The easiest solution, Veser considered as he stood in front of the humming machine, arms crossed, was to put more money in and convince it to push the candy out all the way. However, there were a few problems with this. One, fuck if Veser was going to let it take more money from him just because it refused him the first time, especially since he didn’t know if that’d even make it work. Two, he didn’t actually have the money to try again. His first attempt was his only attempt. 

He lashed out and kicked the machine hard, right on the clear front. His foot bounced off it like he was on a spring-board, rattling the machine a little, but leaving the candy inside untouched. Veser scowled at the thing, fists clenching as he tried kicking it again, harder, higher. On the fifth kick, the candy wiggled, the top falling forward until it hit the clear casing. Now, with one end supported by the rack and the other end shoved against the front of the machine, the candy was legitimately stuck. There was no moving that fucker ever again. 

“God fucking DAMMIT.” Veser kicked the machine again, this time out of sheer frustration more than anything else. Still, nothing budged. He’d been there almost an hour already; most of it spent fighting that stupid beast of a machine. He was getting sick of this shit. 

“Alright, that’s it. You want to play it like that?” He grinned in a way that wasn’t entirely pleasant, fishing around in his pockets for a moment. He pulled out what looked like a large, fist sized pulsing green gem that hummed in time with the machine. “You have to remember who you’re playing with.” He saw his reflection in the glass, all glowing green eyes and sharp, shark like teeth glaring back at him in the blue pulsing light. With a flourish, he slammed the gem on the glass of the machine, and it started flashing, slowly. He darted for the nearest door.

As he exited, the gem began flashing faster and faster, until it flashed so fast it turned solid. It then exploded in a giant, fast burning fireball, sending bits of metal, glass, clear casing and flaming candy products in all directions. The bang shook the building to its foundations, and Veser felt the wall he was pressed against rattling violently as the aftershocks passed through the building. Once the shaking settled, he clamored from his safe spot, trotting over to where the vending machine used to be. 

Instead, all that remained was a large pile of smoldering debris, twisted metal and bits of candy still on fire from the explosion. Veser grinned, picking up the few somewhat edible pieces of candy that he found under the remains and stuffing them in his pockets. He also grabbed the busted open black box that he knew, for a fact, contained all the money the machine had in it. He peeled the metal back, snagged his money – plus some – and kicked the empty metal case across the tile floor, watching it scrape along until it collided against the far wall with a hollow _thunk_. 

“Fuckers.” Veser said, stepping over the damage and heading for the door. He didn’t care that he’d probably set off some kind of police alarm and that they’d probably chase him for the next twenty minutes until he lost them in the slums. He got what he came for – gift for Hanna, and now everyone else, too, though he was still getting something special for Toni – and in return he’d only given the police something to do on the quiet Christmas nights. 

It was the season of giving, after all.


End file.
